Do I Have To Talk to the Police?

No. If you are pulled over while driving, you are required to provide your driver license, proof of insurance and registration. Otherwise, if you are detained by an officer for questioning, you are required to identify yourself and provide proof of your identity. DO NOT LIE TO THE POLICE ABOUT YOUR IDENTITY. It’s a crime by itself when you might otherwise have been released. Beyond that, you are not required to answer any other questions. You may ask the officer if you are free to leave; if the answer is anything other than an enthusiastic “yes!”, then you are detained (or possibly under arrest) and you should assert your right to remain silent. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN FROM THE POLICE; that is ALSO a criminal offense. If you are in a car, it’s a felony. DO NOT RESIST THE POLICE, even if you think they are wrong. That can lead to very serious criminal charges. In a bizarre decision, the US Supreme Court recently ruled that you must actually speak up to assert your right to remain silent. You must reassert the right every single time the police attempt to question you. You should IMMEDIATELY ask for a lawyer. If the police appear at your home, you are NOT required to let them in your house unless they produce a warrant. Police officers are allowed to lie to you in order to obtain consent to a search or to obtain a confession.